1 Organic chemicals and polymers A company of ThyssenKrupp Technologies Uhde ThyssenKrupp 2 Table of contents 1. Company profile 3 2. Uhde's fields of activity 4 3. Organic chemicals 3.1 Ethylene dichloride EDC, Vinyl chloride VCM 6 3.2 Ethylene oxide EO, Ethylene glycol MEG 8 3.3 Propylene oxide and other organic chemicals 10 4. Polymers 4.1 High-density polyethylene HDPE 12 4.2 Low-density polyethylene LDPE 14 4.3 Polypropylene PP 16 4.4 Suspension polyvinyl chloride PVC-S 18 4.5 Polyester PET 20 4.6 Polyamide and special polymers 22 Page Organic chemicals and polymers Plastics have become an indispensable material in everyday life and are used in a wide variety of technical applications. Over 200 million tonnes of plastics are produced throughout the world every year, most of which are commodity polymers such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride and polyester. When it comes to the production of these plastics Uhde provides its customers with large-scale, cost-effective, environment-friendly plants based on first-class processes. 3 1. Company profile With its highly specialised workforce of more than 4,900 employees and its international network of subsidiaries and branch offices, Uhde, a Dortmund-based engineering contractor, has, to date, suc- cessfully completed over 2,000 projects throughout the world. Uhde’s international reputation has been built on the successful application of its motto Engineering with ideas to yield cost-effective high-tech solutions for its customers. The ever-increasing demands placed upon process and application technology in the fields of chemical processing, energy and envir- onmental protection are met through a combination of specialist know-how, comprehensive service packages, top- quality engineering and impeccable punctuality. Overview In the world of international plant con- struction, companies have to be able to provide industrial plant owners with first- class processes which guarantee the maximum level of productivity, availabil- ity, economic viability and environmental compatibility. For decades now, Uhde has been a leading force in the construction of plants for organic chemicals and poly- mers. Supported by licensors of inter- national acclaim, such as LyondellBasell, Evonik, Shell and Vinnolit, we are able to provide our customers with premium processes in a variety of fields. By working closely with these licensors, we are among the market leaders in various fields of activity, such as EDC/VCM and polyethylene, with respect to the overall annual capacity of the plants we have so far built. The following pages provide an overview of the main fields in which we are active. Uhde’s head office in Dortmund, Germany Natural gas Crude oil Coal Sodium chloride Reformate Coke oven light oil Pyrolysis gasoline Refinery Steam cracker Propane Butanes Aromatics separation Coke plant Electrolysis Synthesis gas generation Crops (Starch) 4 Uhde's fields of activity Organic chemicals, polymers and more 2. With its wide range of first-class proprietary technologies and those supplied by reput- able licensors, Uhde is active in an exten- sive number of different chemical and petrochemical segments. Organic chemicals Ethylene dichloride (EDC) Vinyl chloride (VCM) Ethylene oxide (EO) Ethylene glycol (MEG) Propylene oxide (PO) Vinyl acetate (VAM) Oxo alcohols Formaldehyde UIF Organic chemicals Uhde can offer plants in a wide range of fields, such as: UIF These technologies are supplied by our subsidiary Uhde Inventa-Fischer Adhesives Textile fibres, filaments, technical yarns, films, engineering plastics Plasticisers, solvents Mouldings, films, fibres Pipes, profiles Textile fibres, filaments, films, bottles, techn. applications EPS: Insulating foam, packaging Ethylene Propylene Benzene Xylenes Chlorine Caustic soda Hydrogen Styrene Caprolactam Cyclohexane Adipic acid Terephthalic acid/DMT Phthalic anhydride Vinyl chloride Ethylene glycol Ethylene oxide p-Xylene o-Xylene Ethylene dichloride Polyethylene Polypropylene Oxo products Polystyrene Polyamide 6 Polyester (PET) Polyvinyl chloride Methanol m-Xylene Isophthalic acid Formaldehyde Urea-Formaldehyde ABS Mouldings Foam materials Polyurethane Acrylonitrile Propylene oxide Polybutadiene Polyamide 6.6 Butadiene Lactic acid Polylactide Glucose Fibres, films, bottles, medical applications 5 Polymers Other chemical fields Polymers Polypropylene Homopolymers Copolymers Polyethylene High-density polyethylene (HDPE) Medium-density polyethylene (MDPE) Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) Linear polyethylene (LLDPE) Polyvinyl chloride PVC-S Polyester UIF PET, PBT, PEN, PTT and copolyester for textile, bottle and film grade Polyamide UIF PA 6, 6.6, 11, 12 and copolyamide for textile applications and engineering plastics Polylactide (PLA) UIF Others Styrenic plastics (ABS, EPS, GPPS/HIPS) Carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) Urea-formaldehyde resins UIF Engineering plastics UIF These technologies are supplied by our subsidiary Uhde Inventa-Fischer 6 Ethylene Chlorine Direct chlorination Vinyl chloride VCM recycle EDC chlorination EDC distillation Oxychlorination HCl by-product recovery HCl Oxygen liquid + gaseous by-products EDC cracking EDC VCM distillation EDC Vinyl chloride, its precursor ethylene dichloride, and also polyvinyl chloride, the main end prod- uct, rank amongst the world’s largest money- spinners. 35-50 million tonnes of each product are produced around the world each year. And, although people have been saying for decades that chlorine chemicals are on their way out, production continues to grow by 3-4 % per year. This is due on the one hand to the versatility of PVC, and on the other, to the considerable im- provements which the processes have undergone in the last years with regard to environmental and safety issues. Uhde is the exclusive contractor for Vinnolit tech- nology. Vinnolit has been producing EDC, VCM and PVC for over 60 years and is one of the 10 largest PVC producers in the world. Since 1963 we have used Vinnolit know-how to design new plants for our customers and optimise existing ones. The overall annual capacity of all these plants has reached more than 10 million tonnes of EDC and more than 5.5 million tonnes of VCM. Uhde has engineered and constructed several large vinyl complexes with integrated chlor-alkali electrolysis plants. A new huge vinyl complex is being built by Uhde on the Persian Gulf. It includes the entire process chain from the chlor-alkali electrolysis and the EDC/VCM plants to the PVC plant. The annual capacities of the individual plants within the framework of this project will combine to form one of the world's largest PVC complexes. Our extensive experience in the design, con- struction and commissioning of such plants and our intensive development of individual process steps and equipment are borne out by the above successes. Our joint research and development projects with Vinnolit ensure that we supply competitive, environment-friendly processes which produce high-quality products. The latest joint development is the new boiling reactor technology for the direct chlorination of ethylene. This new technology provides an energy-efficient technology for the production of furnace feed and sales EDC from chlorine and ethylene without the need for a distillation step. In combination with a special catalyst, by-prod- uct formation is significantly minimised. The first production-scale plant (capacity 250,000 t/year of EDC) is operating successfully at Limburgse Vinyl Maatschappij NV (LVM), Tessenderlo, Belgium. Ethylene dichloride EDC Vinyl chloride VCM We provide technologies with economic and environmental benefits Balanced EDC/VCM process 3.1 7 Biggest VCM Plant in China SINOPEC Qilu Petrochemical Corp. Linzi, Zibo, Shandong Prov., China 400,000 t/year of VCM (balanced) 3D model of one of the world's largest PVC complexes ARVAND Petrochemical Co., Bandar Imam, Iran Capacities of the complex: 570,000 t/year of chlorine 329,000 t/year of sales EDC 343,000 t/year of VCM 340,000 t/year of PVC Boiling reactor at LVM, Tessenderlo, Belgium 250,000 t/year of EDC Ethylene Oxygen CO 2 High-purity EO MEG DEG TEG Water EG reaction EO reaction EO recovery CO 2 removal EG dewatering EG purification MEG = mono ethylene glycol, DEG = di ethylene glycol, TEG = tri ethylene glycol Light ends removal & EO purification 8 EO/EG production process Ethylene oxide (EO) is one of the chemical industry’s most versatile products. Its various derivates – ethylene glycols, glycol ether, ethoxylates and ethanolamines – are used in the production of plastics, and in the manufac- ture of solvents, brake fluids, cosmetics, pro- pellants, antifreeze etc. An emerging application is the manufacture of 1,3-propanediol. In the next few years the ethylene oxide market is estimated to grow by more than 5% per year. Mono ethylene glycol is the most important derivative of ethylene oxide. Its growth is driven by an increasing demand for polyester, both bottle-grade and fibre-grade. Besides low feedstock prices and large capaci- ties, the application of best available technology is of key importance. Shell is one of the leading EO/MEG manufacturers and licensors as well as the leading supplier of EO catalysts. The quality of the glycol produced by the Shell process ranks among the highest in the world and meets the most stringent specifications for polyester fibre-grade and bottle-grade PET. Furthermore, the Shell process is known for its high safety standards and its low environmental impacts. For the engineering and construction of EO/MEG plants, Uhde uses Shell's outstanding EO/MEG technology and provides plant concepts which permit economical production. Uhde is one of Shell’s authorised basic engineering contractors. Current project capacities range from 100,000 t/year to 600,000 t/year. At the moment a 360,000 t/year MEG is being constructed at Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China. Ethylene oxide EO, Ethylene glycol MEG World-class processes 3.2 9 CNOOC / Shell Nanhai Petrochemical Complex, China EO/EG plant: 320,000 t/year of mono ethylene glycol Glicoles Mexicanos, Coatzacoalcos, 200,000 t/year of mono ethylene glycol Petrochina Sichuan Petrochemical Company, Chengdu, China 360,000 t/year mono ethylene glycol Propylene Hydrogen peroxide Propylene recycle Methanol recycle PO Waste water Reaction unit Decompressing/ Propylene recycling Methanol processing PO purification New Evonik/Uhde propylene oxide technology Propylene oxide On the basis of an exclusive partnership Evonik and Uhde have jointly developed an innovative co-product free and environment-friendly process for the production of propylene oxide (PO) from propylene and hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) with the aid of a special catalyst. The process has incorporated years of experience gained through the operation of a pilot plant with all relevant process steps. The pilot plant demonstrated under practical conditions the absence of co-products as well as the environ- mental compatibility and high product yield of the process, thus enabling it to be developed to market maturity. The Evonik/Uhde HPPO tech- nology has successfully been in commercial operation since 2008 and has proven itself in a plant which is the first of its kind. Operation is highly cost-effective due to efficient feedstock consumption, high-performance and low capital investment. The epoxidation reactor is specially designed for the exothermic reaction and combines efficient heat transfer with an almost ideal plug-flow characteristic. The lower capital investment compared to other state-of- the-art PO technologies allows the investor to be more flexible in his investment decisions. A fur- ther advantage: We can also provide our STAR process ® for the production of propylene feed via oxydehydrogenation of propane. Other organic chemicals For the production of formaldehyde from methanol Uhde licences two process variants based on silver and metal oxide catalysts, respectively, via its subsidiary Uhde Inventa- Fischer. Formaldehyde is mainly used for the production of synthetic resins, for instance for the production of urea-formaldehyde resins, which are used as adhesives for the production of plywood and particle board. Process tech- nology for the production of these resins is also available from Uhde Inventa-Fischer. As a process-oriented engineering company Uhde also offers, on a case-to-case basis, processes for the production of further organic chemicals such as oxo alcohols, vinyl acetate and purified terephthalic acid. We offer these processes in cooperation with various well- known producers and licensors. In order to ensure that we offer customers the optimum technical and economic solution, we operate proprietary pilot plants, such as those for distillation, extraction and extractive distillation processes. In addition, we are also equipped with a number of test racks for testing new catalysts or process schemes. Propylene oxide and other organic chemicals Optimum technical and economic solutions 10 3.3 [...]... is the worldwide leading technology for PP production, and its Spherizone® process is THE new breakthrough process using a multizone circulating reactor for the production of all types LyondellBasell's Spheripol® process for the production of polypropylene homopolymers plus random and heterophasic copolymers Bulk polymerisation of polypropylene and novel polyolefins In 2005 Uhde signed a contract for... 2-reactor plant for textile grade PET in Belarus which can use both PTA and DMT as a raw material 2-reactor plant with SSP for bottle grade PET (Russia) 22 4.6 Polyamide and special polymers Uhde Inventa-Fischer – a partner to rely on Polyamide polymers (PA) Technically mature production plants for polyamide 6, known under the brand names Nylon and Perlon®, at the time revolutionised the textile industry Now... applications, injection moulding applications, tapes and fibres And it is here that bimodal products used primarily in the manufacture of high-quality pipes and films are particularly worthy of mention LyondellBasell’s HD Hostalen® slurry process for the production of unimodal and bimodal HDPE Catalyst preparation Polymerisation Hexane separation and drying In the past, Uhde engineers have continually... and PVC The most widely used process in the manufacture of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) involves suspension polymerisation The homopolymers produced are commonly used in pipes and cables manufactured using extrusion and moulding applications Another extremely widespread use of PVC-S is the manufacture of sections for window frames In addition, PVC-S is also used in the production of transparent films and. .. plastic products and synthetic fibers As a plant construction contractor and special supplier, Uhde can offer numerous first-class proprietary processes for the production of polyesters (PET/PBT/PEN/PTT) and polyamides (PA 6/PA 6.6) via its subsidiary Uhde Inventa-Fischer, the leading technology supplier for these polymers In total, Uhde Inventa-Fischer has built more than 400 polyester and polyamide... engineering and construction services provided by Uhde include all process steps inherent in a plant, beginning with the extremely sensitive reactor system and extending to the extrusion, drying, storing and packing units The polyethylene obtained in the high-pressure process is predominantly used in the manufacture of films, but is also used for cable sheaths, blow and injection-moulded parts and pipes... 2-reactor Melt-To-Resin MTR® process for PET production Paste mixer Esterfication and Prepolycondensation ESPREE® tower reactor which combines the esterification and prepolycondensation stages in a single vessel and the proprietary DISCAGE® reactor – a shaftless basket/disk-type reactor which operates extremely efficiently and ensures optimum postcondensation despite high viscosity Uhde Inventa-Fischer... from natural gas liquids (NGL) or associated gas can be used This process route is becoming more and more important because there is no equivalent capacity increase in propylene production from conventional sources (i.e steam crackers and refineries) to meet the increasing demand for propylene A propylene demand/supply gap has been forecasted for the future, leading the way toward wide application of... total polyamide 6 production capacity built in the last five years Batch processing of polyamide 6.6/11/12/6.10 and co-polyamides, such as engineering plastics, moulding compounds and other polymers, can be carried out in proven autoclave plants with either discontinuous or continuous drying and SSP units Uhde Inventa-Fischer’s two-stage Polyamide 6 process Polycondensation Biodegradable polymer polylactide... Inventa-Fischer can perform customer specific polymer grades development and sample production Extraction Extract Water Regeneration Drying 23 DSM, Emmen, Netherlands Polyamide 6 film plant Kuibyshev Azot’s PA 6 complex in Russia, producing 215 t/d of Polyamide 6 for all applications Polylactic acid Raw materials and products OP 450e PDF 23.4.2009 . 20 4.6 Polyamide and special polymers 22 Page Organic chemicals and polymers Plastics have become an indispensable material in everyday life and are used in. (Starch) 4 Uhde's fields of activity Organic chemicals, polymers and more 2. With its wide range of first-class proprietary technologies and those supplied by reput- able